Anton Webern (1883 -1945) Ricercare from a Musical Offering -Bach/arranged Anton Webern Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) has been considered many times, by many people, to be the greatest composer of all time. Such a feeling in Western music has been proved by the fact that virtually every composer that ever studied music knew Bach’s music. […]
Jaromir Weinberger (b Prague, January 8, 1896; dSt. Petersburg,FL, August 8, 1967) Polka and Fugue from the opera Schwanda the Bagpiper It’s ironic that the composer who had written such exuberant, earthy, witty and jocular pieces as the Polka and Fugue in his opera Schwanda the Bagpiper would eventually succumb to depression and suicide. […]
Henryk (Henri) Wieniawski (Born in Lublin, Poland, 1835; died in Moscow, Russia, 1880) Violin Concerto No. 2 in D-minor, Op.22 1. Allegro moderato 2. Romance – Andante non troppo 3. Finale – Allegro moderato, a la Zingara In the last half of the 19th century Wieniawski’s influence as a violin virtuoso, pedagogue and composer cast […]
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) The Rite of Spring: Pictures of Pagan Russia (Le Sacre du Printemps) Igor Fyoderovich Stravinsky was one of a rare breed of composers who created a piece of music that stopped the musical world and turned it on its ear. Beethoven and Wagner are among the others who also hold this claim. […]
Igor Stravinsky The Firebird Suite (1919 version) In 1910, Stravinsky premiered The Firebird ballet with the Ballet Russe, and it became an international success. The new collaboration between Sergei Diaghilev, Stravinsky, and the brilliant dancer Nijinsky brought together what must be considered the most extraordinary minds in ballet history. Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was born in […]
Igor Stravinsky (b in Lomonosov, Russia, June 17, 1882; d inNew York, April 6, 1971) Petrouchka – Burlesque in Four Scenes (1947 Version) Scene I: The Shrovetide Fair Scene II: Petrouchka’s Room Scene III: The Moor’s Room Scene IV: The Shrovetide Fair (Toward Evening) The first years of the 20th century witnessed some incredible innovations […]
Igor Stravinsky (b in Lomonosov, Russia, June 17, 1882; d inNew York, April 6, 1971) Fireworks, Op. 4 For 1910 to roughly 1960, the great Igor Stravinsky held musical court in the Western world. No other composer has ever brought so much consistently excellent music to the concert stage than Stravinsky, and most remarkably, […]
Richard Strauss (b in Munich, 1864; d in Garmisch-Partenkirchen,Germany, 1949) Don Juan, Op. 20 Don Juan is one of the great masterpieces in Western music in its intense energy and sweeping themes. In fact, this youthful piece is filled with some of the best themes Strauss ever composed, and it’s not surprising that from […]
Richard Strauss 1846 – 1949 Suite from Der Rosenkavalier AV 145 op. 59 [. . .] In opera, Strauss’ first two attempts failed badly. But in 1905, Strauss succeeded magnificently with Salome. Based on a play by Oscar Wilde, it is about the woman of the bible that demanded John the Baptist’s head on a […]
Richard Strauss (1864-1949) Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs) Long after his controversial and electrically charged operas Salome and Elektra, and some years after his final opera, Capriccio (1941), Richard Strauss’ long career and life were winding down. Having turned from works with voice to smaller instrumental groupings, like the Metamorphosen for 23 strings, Strauss […]